Preventing water damage is a whole lot cheaper than paying for repairs. Here are three easy prevention tips.

#1. Ensure Good Drainage

Poor drainage weakens your foundation, causing cracks, uneven settling, and pathways for water to enter your home.

#2. Test Your Sump Pump Regularly

Sump pumps come to life during storms. That’s not when you want to realize yours isn’t working properly. You should check it at least once a year, and ideally perform several checks during heavy storm seasons.

How to test your sump pump:

1. Slowly fill the sump pump pit with water. Watch for the "float" (similar to the float in your toilet) to rise, which should turn on the pump. Then watch to make sure the water level falls.
2. Test your backup pump the same way, but unplug the main pump first.
3. If you don’t have a backup pump -- or a generator -- and are on municipal water, get one that runs on water pressure. If you’re on well water, your only option is the battery kind.

#3. Check for Water Leaks and Fix Them

Persistent leaks lead to mold and mildew, rot, and even termites and carpenter ants (they like chewing soggy wood, since it’s soft). Yet if you fix a leak soon after it starts, there may be no long-term damage at all. 

Original Article: https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/home-maintenance-tips/how-to-prevent-water-damage/